16 Things you miss when you’re on a psych ward

I checked myself back into the hospital last week. It was a last resort kind of thing, and I was feeling extremely depressed and suicidal. I had self harmed though not badly (if there’s such a thing as wimpy self harm, I have done it) and after a…

What It’s Like to Be Transgender in a Psychiatric Hospital.

a trauma of its own

why my “neutral” psych ward experience was a trauma

They took me in a wheelchair to the sixth floor. The elevators stopped on every floor on the way up. I clutched my blanket in exhaustion, having somehow held onto it the whole time…

“Is this your first time in the system?”

CN: Suicidal ideation, voluntary psych hospital admission

The social worker complimented me on my butterflies, drawn with ballpoint pen and blue highlighter all over my wrists and hands as I cried. I had read the stories of how…

The Public Conversation on Mental Health and Dangerous Legislation: Part One

content note: voluntary admission to a psych ward, medication, suicidal ideation, ableism, institutionalization, abusive treatments

I walk past the hospital every day and want things to change

content note: medication, voluntary admission to a psych ward, suicidal ideation

Dealing with change has never been my strong suit. I moved for the job. Everything was slightly chaotic. I ended up…

Rewriting the Narrative on Psych Ward Abuse in Journalism

Psych wards are full of abuse, and as a crisis care model, it has structural flaws. Why don’t journalists talk about alternatives?

Absurd Ironies and the Creation of Psych Ward Reviews

I was frantically emailing edits to an article as I climbed into a taxicab. No, no, the Murphy Bill no longer really affects PAIMI, please take that out. I had called a cab to take me to the hospital — again. I was too embarrassed to…

Ground Rules for Writing for Psych Ward Experiences

1. Don’t disparage the people who call themselves crazy.
2. Don’t disparage people who don’t call themselves crazy.
3. Don’t disparage people.
4. Please be respectful of…

Psych Ward Reviews Update 1/11/17: Becoming a more Comprehensive Site

Exciting changes are happening: submission options for news articles on hospitals, Psych Ward Reviews in the news, and more!